This is a story about the origin of the Mammy market, which is present in all Nigerian military barracks.

THE WOMAN WHO ORIGINATED THE #MAMMY_MARKET,THAT’S PRESENT IN ALL NIGERIAN MILITARY BARRACKS😍

This is a story about the origin of the Mammy market, which is present in all Nigerian military barracks.

In every military barrack in Nigeria, there is a place where soldiers and residents go to eat, drink, and buy their daily needs. It is called “Mammy market”. The Mammy market was named after a woman called “Mammy Maria Ochefu”.

She was married to Col. Anthony Ochefu, and they both lived in the military barrack in Enugu State before Col. Ochefu was transferred to Kaduna State. To kill idleness and make some money, Mammy Ochefu established a business selling soft drinks, as well as a local beverage popularly known as “Kunu”, which she prepared herself.

She soon became popular as soldiers trooped to her house to buy the beverage. After a short while, there were complaints from people that the drink attracted flies, and Mammy Ochefu had to stop its production and sale.

Shortly afterwards, pressure from her clients inspired a colonel to set up a section behind the barracks to make it more conducive to produce and sell her drinks. A tent was built for her there and Mammy’s business began to boom again.

Soon, other women in the barracks became inspired by Mammy’s industrious nature and started to sell other items at the section set up for her. This part of the barracks became known as the “Mammy market”.

Mammy Ochefu’s family was often transferred to different states across the country and wherever they went, she would always establish a Mammy market is the barracks. Before transferring to another State, Mammy Ochefu would hand over the market to women she trusted but ask that they retain the name.

Since then, all military barracks in Nigeria began to set up Mammy markets. Mammy Ochefu’s husband died a few years after they moved to their hometown in Otukpo (Benue State), where Mammy currently resides.